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Chief Technical Officer Sabine Klauke said the planemaker would build a flying demonstrator to test elements including “gust sensors,” with conclusions expected by mid-decade.
The project – first reported by industry publication The Air Current – complements the same planemaker’s UK-based “Wing of Tomorrow” eco-wing programme, which is preparing the ground for future competition with U.S. rival Boeing (NYSE:BA).
Airbus said the first full-size prototype in that project, designed to be tested on the ground, had been assembled.
The six-year-old UK wing project is designed to pioneer a production system capable of handling next-generation wings for future aircraft programmes like a mooted 2030s replacement of the best-selling A320/321 or an upgrade to the existing model.
An Airbus official told Bloomberg News in May that the aim was a wing that would be both affordable and capable of being built at a high production rate.
The new “extra performance” project will focus on the actual design and aerodynamic performance of such a wing, officials said at a company environmental conference, the Airbus Summit.
Wing design is one of the main areas of competition between Airbus and Boeing, which brought previously outsourced wing expertise in-house with a composite wing centre for its 777X.
Wings tend to improve in aerodynamic performance when their wingspan is longer, but a longer structure typically adds weight and finding the right balance is a complex juggling act.
The proposed new wing would include “pop-up spoilers” or wing surfaces to alter its profile and get the best performance, just as a bird twists its feathers, Airbus officials said.
The announcement came at the end of a two-day conference designed to showcase industry pledges to cut emissions amid climate concerns from politicians and investors.
